Minnesota, USA - September 1, 2011 - As we have learned recently from Pew's Research Center, over half of adults are participating in social networking. Now, a new network is out known as Jig, which specifically revolves around 'interaction' rather than the 'personal news' or 'updates' of sites such as Facebook or Twitter. What makes it so different Each post starts with "I need ______" where the users fill in the blank; it revolves around giving and taking advice. We all have problems, so it helps broaden our skills by introducing us to new 'solutions' or even gives us views of other issues out there that we have not given much thought yet.

The founder of the site, Joshua Schachter, is famous for coming up with the idea of 'tagging' and sharing stories/webpages with others through the 'share' button. Jig does not cut out Facebook or Twitter but allows its users to connect with it so that they can keep following their friends as they have been. Schachter recognizes the need for these other websites to exist as well -co-exist you could say. It was not created to compete with Facebook or Twitter but create a whole new space where people could reach out with the expectation of others helping them or taking their advice.

In a blog entry on June 15, co-founder Nick Nyugen stated, "Anything that is a Jig is useful or fun." - explaining the reasons for the website's name; he mentioned that the goal of this site is to achieve both of these. In all 'social' driven websites, it seems that the 'fun' part is achieved but the 'useful' part is not always there. The 'problem solving' aspect of this website could help transform our interactions from 'superficial' to 'deep' relationships with friends, family, and even strangers if we reach out to them to give us a helping hand.

Some may believe that this site resembles what already exists like Yahoo's Answers; however, Answers tends to provoke long discussions about general topics instead of directly addressing the issue. Jig wants users to be as specific as possible by filling in the blank with phrases like, "ideas for a light vegetarian dish that is quick and easy." Of course the topics can be much deeper than simply the dilemma of finding the perfect meal for your vegetarian friend.

If you are an expert in something or need some 'expert' opinions or ideas, it is wise to sign up for this site and give it a try. We can grow to learn even more than we already do; we can also bond more with others by taking each other's advices to heart. We do not do this much with social networks. Instead of being called a social network, it should probably be considered the 'social chain'; it connects people in ways that regular social networks do not and it keeps the connections going.